‘We know the path here,’ said Bhagirath. ‘We know what the Brangas are doing. There will be no surprises. But we have no idea what route the Nagas will lead us on. Only the Almighty knows what surprises they may have in store. Is it wise to trust them so blindly?’

‘We’re not trusting the Nagas, Bhagirath,’ interrupted Anandmayi. ‘We are trusting the Neelkanth.’

Parvateshwar remained silent.

‘I’m not saying we shouldn’t trust the Mahadev,’ said Bhagirath. ‘How can I? But how much do we know of the Nagas? We’re going through the dreaded Dandak forests with the Nagas as our guides. Am I the only one concerned here?’

‘Listen,’ said an irritated Anandmayi. ‘Lord Neelkanth trusts Queen Kali. That means I will trust her. And so will you.’

Bhagirath shook his head. ‘What do you say, Parvateshwar?’

‘The Lord is My Lord. I will walk into a wall of flames if he orders me to,’ said Parvateshwar as he looked towards the banks, where accumulator machines had just been released, pulling their ship forward with tremendous force. The Meluhan General turned to Bhagirath. ‘But how can I forget that Ganesh killed Brahaspati, the greatest scientist of Meluha? That he destroyed the heart of our empire, Mount Mandar. How can I trust him after all this?’

Anandmayi looked at Parvateshwar and then at her brother uncomfortably.

‘No, Krittika,’ said Ayurvati. ‘I am not doing it.’

Krittika and Ayurvati were in the Meluhan doctor’s office on the royal ship. The hooks on the sideboards of their ship were being attached onto the machine that would pull it through the gates of Branga. Practically everyone on the vessel was on the deck, to see this marvellous feat of Branga engineering in action. Krittika had used the time to meet Ayurvati without Veerbhadra’s knowledge.

‘Ayurvatiji, please. You know I need it.’

‘No you don’t. And I’m sure if your husband knew, he would say no as well.’

‘He doesn’t need to know.’

‘Krittika, I am not doing anything to put your life in danger. Is that clear?’

Ayurvati turned around to prepare a medicine for Kartik. He had cut himself while practicing with Parvateshwar.

Krittika saw her chance. There was a pouch lying on Ayurvati’s table. She knew this was the medicine she desperately craved. She slipped it quietly into the folds of her angvastram.

‘My apologies for disturbing you,’ said Krittika.

Ayurvati turned around. ‘I’m sorry if I appear rude, Krittika. But it is in your own interests.’

‘Please don’t tell my husband.’

‘Of course not,’ said Ayurvati. ‘But you should tell Veerbhadra yourself. Right?’

Krittika nodded and was about to leave the room when Ayurvati called out to her. Pointing towards Krittika’s angvastram, Ayurvati said, ‘Please leave it behind.’

Embarrassed, Krittika slowly slipped her hand into her angvastram, took the pouch out and left it on the table. She looked up, eyes moist and pleading.

Ayurvati held Krittika’s shoulder gently. ‘Haven’t you learnt anything from the Neelkanth? You are a complete woman exactly the way you are. Your husband loves you for who you are and not for something you can give him.’

Krittika mumbled a soft apology and ran from the room.

Chapter 23

The Secret of All Secrets

The convoy crossed the gates of Branga and sailed into the river’s westernmost distributary, the Madhumati. A few weeks later they passed the spot where Shiva had battled with Parshuram.

‘This is where we fought Parshuram,’ said Shiva, patting the ex-bandit on his back.

Parshuram looked at Shiva and then at Sati. ‘Actually, this is where the Lord saved me.’

Sati smiled at Parshuram. She knew what it felt like. Being saved by Shiva. She looked at her husband with love. A man capable of pulling the poison out of the lives of all those around him. And yet, he couldn’t pull the poison out of his own memories, still being tortured by his own demons. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get him to forget his past. Perhaps that was his fate.

Sati’s musings were interrupted by Parshuram. ‘This is where we turn, My Lord.’

Sati looked in the direction the exiled Vasudev pointed. There was nothing there. The river seemed to skirt a large grove of Sundari trees and carry on towards the Eastern Sea.

‘Where?’ asked Shiva.

‘See those Sundari trees, My Lord,’ said Parshuram, pointing towards a grove with the hook fixed on his amputated left hand. ‘They lend their name to this area. The Sundarban.’

‘Beautiful forest?’ asked Sati.

‘Yes, My lady,’ said Parshuram. ‘They also hide a beautiful secret.’

On the orders of Kali, the lead ship turned into the grove that Parshuram had pointed towards. From the distance of her own ship, Sati could see the figure of Parvateshwar, also on the deck, looking at Kali and trying to argue with the Naga Queen.

Kali simply ignored him. And the ship continued on a course that appeared to be its doom.

‘What are they doing?’ asked Sati, panic-stricken. ‘They’ll run aground.’

To their shock, the lead ship simply pushed the trees aside and sailed through.

‘By the holy lake,’ whispered an awe-struck Shiva. ‘Rootless trees.’

‘Not rootless, My Lord,’ corrected Parshuram. ‘They have roots. But not fixed ones. The roots float in the lagoon.’

‘But how can such trees live?’ asked Sati.

‘That is something I have not understood,’ said Parshuram. ‘Perhaps it’s the magic of the Nagas.’

The other ships, led by the royal ship that carried the Mahadev, glided into the floating grove of Sundari trees and entered a hidden lagoon where the gentle waves of the Madhumati came to a halt. Shiva looked around in wonder. The area was lush green, alive with raucous bird calls. The vegetation was dense, creating a canopy of leaves over the lagoon which was massive enough to hold ten large ships. It was nearing the end of the second prahar and the sun was at its peak. Within the shaded lagoon however, one could mistakenly think it was evening time.

Parshuram looked at Shiva. ‘Very few people know the location of the floating grove. I know of some who have tried to find it and have only run their ships aground.’

The ten ships were quickly anchored into long stakes in the banks after being tied to each other and pulled behind a dense row of floating Sundari trees. The vessels were secure and completely hidden from view.

The path now was on foot. More than two thousand soldiers had to troop through the Dandak forests. They were all asked to assemble on and around the lead ship.

Kali climbed up the main mast, so that all could see her. ‘Hear me!’

The crowd quietened down. Kali’s voice instantly commanded compliance.

‘All of you have heard rumours of the Dandakaranya. That the Dandak forest is the largest in the world. That it stretches from the Eastern Sea to the Western Sea. That it is so dense that the sun hardly ever cracks through. That it is populated by monstrous animals that will devour those who lose their way. That some trees themselves are poisonous, felling those stupid enough to eat or touch things better left alone.’

The soldiers looked at Kali with concern.